Combination grab bucket and live boom



Nov. 1 1949. K. J. KENNEDY 2,486,479

COMBINATION GRAB-BUCKET AND LIVE BOOM Filed Nov. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- KENNE TH J. KEN/V50).

ATTORNEK Nov. 1, 1949. r K. J. KENNEDY 2,488,479

COMBINATION GRAB-BUCKET AND LIVE BOOM INVENTORT KENNETH J. KENNEDY.

Patented Nov. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION GRAB BUCKET AND LIVE BOOM Kenneth J. Kennedy, South San Francisco; Catlifl Application November 4, 1944; Serial No; 561,898

(01. man) 1 Claim. l

The present invention relates to excavation equipment, particularly to an improved gnabbucket assembly and more particularly to a grabbuoket assembly of the general type commonly employed in the handling and transfer of gross materials, such as ore, coal and the like, and in excavation work wherein quantities of earth are moved.

in conventional grab-bucket assemblies the grab-bucket or clam-shell is formed of two pivoted bucket halves which are suspended from a boom by means of cables or the like, the opening and closing of the grab-bucket and'raising and lowering thereof, as well as the raising and lowering of the boom being remotely controlled by an operator. This type of equipment is generally utilized in handling relatively loose or soft materials, particularly sand, gravel, mud, soft earth, and the like. However, when hard earth to be excavated or relatively precise escavations are to be made, such as trenches or ditches for laying pipelines, for example, power shovels or special ditch-digging equipment is: generally employed in preference to the conventional grabbucket assemblies in consideration of the fact that the latter are generally unsuitable for such purposes.- I

It is an object of the present invention to provide agrab-bucket assembly, wherein the gnabbucket may be accurately positioned with respect to the surfaces which are to be excavated, A further object is to provide such equipment wherein the grab-bucketis rotatably adjustable with respect to the live boom supporting the same. Another object is to provide an improved grab-bucket operating mechanism whereby foul ing of the operating mechanism by the material being handled during loading operations is ob viatd, A still further object is to provide an improved grab-bucket assembly suitable for precise excavation work and for the excavation of relatively hard materials, in addition to the normal use for conventional equipment of the class described. Another and particular object is to provide a grab-bucket assembly wherein full loading of the grab-bucket is assured.

other objects, together with some of the advantages to be derived in utilizing the present iiiveiition will become apparent from the follow-- ing detailed description thereof, taken together with the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification and wherein:

l is a side elevation of a grab-bucket assembly according t the invention with the grabblifikt shown in closed position.

port I!) and is provided with Fg. 2 is a fragmentary view of the assembly of Fig. 1, with. the grab-bucket shown in openfposition,

Fig. an end sectional elevation through of Fig. l. I

Fig. 4- ,is a schematic plan view,- showing equipment accf'ording to the invention positioned to excavate a-tranch or ditch.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of the equipment of Fig; 4 with the grab-bucket positioned to excavate a bell hole. in the trench or ditch.

Reierring particularly to Figs.- l, 2 and 3, the grabbucket assembly comprises a base member I, on which is rigidly mounted support stanchion 2. Live boom 4 and stationary boom 3 are each pivotally'mounted on stanchion 2. Brace memher 5 is rigidly mounted on base member I to the rear oi stanchion 2 and serves to secure brace strut 6, which is rigidly secured at opposite ends to the upper end of brace element 5 and stationary boom 3. m

Swivel support H) is pivo-tally mounted in the end oflive boom 4 at H. Bearing plate 39 is rigidly mounted on the lower end of swivel supa hole through the center thereof to receive the upper end 4! of bucketsupport 9. Sleeve 42 is detachably mounted on the end M of bucket support 9 which projects through bearing plate 39 and is of larger diameter than the hole inbearing plate 39, the loadof bucket support 9 thus being carried on bearing plate 39.; Bearing plate 38 is mounted on bucket support ll below 4! and is provided with a spiral cable groove, as at 22.- The opposing faces of bearing plates 38 and 39 are provided with bearing races to receive ball bearings: 40.

' Bucket support 9,- which serves as a. housing for the bucket operating mechanism, is provided with a. pulley shaft 36 near the upper end thereof on which is mounted pulley 31, Gable support 35 is also mounted in bucket support 5, as shown. The lower end of bucket support 9 terminates in a yoke, a bucket half it being pivotally mounted on one side thereof at is and a second bucket half I 5 being pivotally mounted on the other side thereof at [6. A weighted pulley block la is vertically reciprocable in bucket support 9, being supported by cable as described hereinbelow. Pulley wheels 26 and 34 are mounted in pulley block l9 on pulley shaft 33. Yoke members 41 and I8 are pivotally attached at their upper ends to the lower end of pulley block 19 at 28 and 29, respectively. n The yoked end of yoke member I8 is pivotally attached to the top of bucket half 15 at 21 and 21 yoke member I1 being similarly pivotally attached to bucket half 13 at 26.

One end of cable 30 is secured to cable support 35, the cable passing around pulley wheel 20, pulley wheel 31, pulley wheel 34, thence up through bucket support 9 and the upper end thereof at 4|, through swivel support In, over pulley wheel l2 which is mounted near the end of live boom i, over pulley wheel 3! which is mounted on the upper end of stationary boom 3 and finally around Winch drum 8 which is mounted on winch base 1.

Cable 44 is attached at one end to live boom 4 at 45, passes through pulley wheel 32, which is mounted on stationary 'boom 3, thence through a second pulley wheel (not shown) in the .end of live boom 4, and finally to a winch drum (not shown). This cable is used for the purpose of raising and lowering live boom 4. It will be appreciated, of course, that any suitable conventional system may be employed for the purpose of raising and lowering live boom 4.

Cable 25 leads from a winch drum or other suitable actuating means (not shown) through pulley Wheels 23 and 24, which are mounted on opposite sides of live boom 4, and passes around bearing plate 38 in the spiral cable .groove provided therein at 22. This cable serves to rotate bucket support 9 about the longitudinal axis thereof and with respect to swivel support iii.

In the operation of the assembly, the grabbucket is opened by releasing the tension on cable 30, pulley block 19 thereupon being free to move downwardly in bucket support 9. The weight of pulley block l9 bearing on yoke memhers I! and I8 acts to pivot bucket halves l3 and I outwardly to the open position shown in Fig. 2. The grab-bucket having been previously swiveled by means of cable 25 to the desired position, boom 4 is lowered by means of cable 44 until the grabbucket is engaging the material to be excavated. The grab-bucket is then closed by means of cable 30 operating to raise pulley block E9. Live boom 4 is then raised to the desired height, pivoted to the desired release point and the grab-bucket opened to discharge the material therein. The pivoting of live boom 4, in this case, is brought about by pivoting base member i, which is normally mounted on the conventional pivotal tractor mounting.

With the grab-bucket in the open position shown. in. Fig. 2, it will be seen that the Weight of bucket support 9, pulley block 19, swivel support ii] and live boom 4 may be placed on the grab-bucket, if desired, and in this manner the grab-bucket may be forced into relatively hard and unyielding materials. Furthermore, if necessary or desirable, the grab-bucket may be actually driven into the material which is to be excavated by repeatedly raising and dropping live boom 4 with the grab-bucket open. Further, it will be noted that with the grab-bucket open, regardless of whether the material being excavated is of soft or hard, wet or dry nature, there is no possibility of fouling the pulley wheels or cables utilized in opening and closing the grabbucket, as these operative parts are entirely contained within the body of the bucket support 9 and considerably above the top of the grabbucket. and such operative parts in combination comprise a rigid means of connection or system of coupling between the grab-bucket and the live boom,thereby abrogating the likelihood that the grab-bucket will capsize or tilt upon forcefully striking the earth-a not uncommon occurence 4 during operating of conventional type cable-suspended grab-bucket equipment.

The present grab-bucket assembly has particular utility in excavating operations requiring a greater or lesser degree of accuracy in posi-,

tiom'ng the grab-bucket with respect to the excavation. For example, in digging ditches or trenches for pipelines and the like, the gr-abbucket assembly is readily positioned, as shown in Fig. 4, a base member 5| (equivalent to base member I of Fig. 1) being pivotally mounted on the body 50 of a tractor provided with self-laying tracks at '52 and 53. Live boom 54 carries grabbucket 55 which is pivotally and rigidly attached thereto in the manner of the assembly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Grab-bucket 55 may be swiveled to the position shown in Fig. 4, i. e., with the bucket halves opening and closing along the axis of the trench 56 which is to be excavated, regardless of the relative position of the remainder of the assembly.

At intervals along the length of pipeline and similar trenches, it is often necessary to provide bell holes, 1. e. excavations, as at 59, Fig. 5, which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trench 5B. The bell holes are necessary to permit workmen in laying the pipe 51 to make the necessary welded or bolted connections 58 between adjacent lengths of pipe. With the present grab-bucket assembly, the bell holes are easily and accurately excavated, the grab-bucket being rotated by means of the swivel connection between the bucket support and the live boom to the desired position without changing the position of the tractor or the live boom. The rapid and accurate positioning of the grab-bucket made possible by the present construction greatly speeds and facilitates the completion of excavations of diverse dimensions.

Particular advantages derived in utilizing grabbucket assemblies in accordance with the present invention include, in addition to the accurate positioning of the grab-bucket described above, the insurance that the grab-bucket will be comipletely filled each time owing to the positive crowding action attained with the rigid bucket support and the obviation of the difficulty commonly encountered with conventional grabbucket assemblies wherein the operating mechanism for the grab-bucket is often fouled by the material being excavated, particularly in those instances wherein soft or muddy material is being excavated.

It will be appreciated, of course, that various mechanical equivalents known to those skilled in the present art may be substituted for many of the mechanical elements of the present invention which are set forth for the purpose of illustrating the principles involved and that the size and general configuration of the various parts of the present grab-bucket assembly may be varied as desired Within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

Iclaim:

In excavating equipment the combination comprising a stanchion support, a rigid boom and a live boom each independently pivotally secured to the said stanchion support, means of raising and lowering said live boom, a pair of bucket halves, a rigid coupling connecting the said bucket halves to the said live boom comprising a. hollow rigid bucket support having a linear portion terminating in a yoke member and to which latter member is pivotally attached the said bucket halves, swivel means capable of independent operation provided as a Part Of the said rigid coupling. a weighted and vertically reciprocal pulley block slidably mounted within and guided by the walls of the said linear portion 01' the said bucket support and spaced above said yoke member, flexible means in said linearportion of said bucket su'ppont zfor reciprocating, said pulley block, and rigid link members connecting said bucket halves and said reciprocal pulley block together.

KENNETH J. KENNEDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

, 6 UNITED STATES PAI'ENTS Number Derby et a1 Apr. 17, 1945 

